Yes, 35 House Republicans voted to create a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. And yes, some GOP senators also support the proposal. But the two top Republican leaders — Kevin McCarthy in the House and Mitch McConnell in the Senate — are solidly opposed. They have their reasons. Like: What about the “sprawling” Capitol riot investigation in the Justice Department, “one of the largest in American history”? That’s not nothing. And what about the investigation you probably haven’t heard of in the Senate? And what about the second Trump impeachment? Remember that? There are multiple Capitol riot investigations going on as we speak. And finally, if Democrats want another, why don’t they just do it themselves? Nothing is stopping them from starting right now. A no chit-chat discussion.

Remember the shooting at the House Republican baseball practice just outside of Washington? A zealous Bernie Sanders supporter and Trump hater named James Hodgkinson, armed with a semi-automatic rifle, attacked a group of GOP lawmakers as they practiced for the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Representative Steve Scalise was gravely wounded. A lobbyist was seriously hurt, and two others were wounded, as well. The shooter was specifically seeking to attack Republicans. He had in his pocket a list of GOP lawmakers he wanted to attack. And he asked before opening fire whether the group on the field was Republican or Democrat. It was an absolutely clear case of politically motivated domestic terrorism. And yet it has just been revealed that the FBI did not label it domestic terrorism. Instead, the bureau maintained that Hodgkinson was simply trying to commit “suicide by cop.” The FBI’s conclusion left Republicans stunned, and now they’re seeking answers.

Anyone paying attention to the news knows the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border is terrible. Anyone who actually visits the border discovers it is worse than that. This is a report on a recent trip to the border in Mission, Texas, where U.S. officials are scrambling to handle thousands of migrants who are crossing the border illegally. The Biden administration’s response to the crisis — which it created — is entirely improvised. Officials are not trying to stop would-be migrants from crossing illegally into the U.S. Instead, they are just trying to accommodate them until they can be sent to cities and towns across the country. And even at that job, they are overwhelmed. A first-person look, plus the reactions of U.S. lawmakers — all Republicans — who care enough about the issue to visit the border.

A United States senator vowing to oppose all nominees of a particular race? Could that happen in 2021? The answer is yes. It happened this week, in fact, when Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth declared she would not support any white nominees for any administration positions. (The only exceptions, Duckworth said, would be for white nominees who are also lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer.) Duckworth said she would not stop until the Biden administration picked more Asian-American and Pacific Islanders for cabinet-level positions. After some sweet talk from the White House, Duckworth gave in, but the episode offered a troubling preview of the future of identity politics.

All Americans hope the coronavirus pandemic ends and life can return to normal. But Democrats in Congress are trying to make what they call ‘COVID relief’ permanent. Their ‘COVID relief’ is in fact a series of long-held Democratic policy goals that have nothing to do with the virus, but they want to use the pandemic to make permanent changes in the nation’s welfare system and beyond. Today, a discussion of their not-so-secret ambitions, plus an update on the Lincoln Project. Remember when their ads attacking Trump brought them loving media coverage? Those days are gone.

The Senate GOP leader came to a Fox News interview prepared to talk about the current president equally prepared to not talk about the former president. But Mitch McConnell ended up making news about Donald Trump anyway. What is the thinking behind McConnell’s statement — less than two weeks after his scathing criticism of Trump — that he would support the former president if he is the Republican Party nominee in 2024? It’s a safe bet McConnell doesn’t believe there is a way in the world Trump will be the Republican Party nominee in 2024. All that, plus McConnell on President Biden’s move to “the progressive route.”

As expected, Democrats won the vote on constitutionality that began the second impeachment trial of former President Trump. Six Republicans went along with unanimous Democrats in voting that the trial is in fact constitutional. So now it is on to the substance of the case. House Democratic impeachment managers will attempt to prove that then-President Trump incited a crowd to insurrection on January 6, when pro-Trump rioters ransacked the Capitol. Republican senators will have to address that question. What will they say?